Lancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Barnstormers are an Atlantic League team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Since the 2005 season, they have played in the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Barnstormers enter the 2007 season as the reigning Atlantic League champions. The team plays at Clipper Magazine Stadium on the northwestern side of the city. Even though the Barnstormers play in the city of Lancaster, the team represents all of Lancaster County. Baseball fans in Lancaster waited 44 years for the return of baseball since the Lancaster Red Roses folded after the 1961 season. In 2003, Lancastrians chose the name Barnstormers over Red Roses in a name-the-team contest. The name "Barnstormers" refers to the act of "barnstorming," which means to travel around an area appearing in exhibition sports events, especially baseball games. Lancaster County's farmland hosted many of these exhibition games during the early 1900s. The Lancaster Barnstormers' logo was designed with local history in mind, as the team colors of navy blue, red, and khaki were the same colors used by Lancaster's former team, the Red Roses. The name and logo also reference the numerous farms in the surrounding county, many of which are Amish. The Lancaster Barnstormers sometimes are given the nickname of the "'Stormers." The Barnstormers management is nicknamed "The Barn." History of Lancaster Baseball , current home of the Barnstormers]] The Beginning Baseball first came to Lancaster County in the 1860s by soldiers returning home from the Civil War. They learned the rules while serving in the military and wanted to continue playing. The very first professional baseball teams in Lancaster were the Lancaster Lancasters and the Lancaster Ironsides. The Lancasters played in the Keystone Association and the Ironsides played in the Eastern League, both starting in 1884. The following season, the Lancasters joined the Eastern League, and the two teams became bitter rivals. They competed against each other for fan support, league affiliation, and money at the gate. At its peak, insults and refusals to play against each other were the norm. The teams finally agreed to play each other at the end of the 1884 season, in which the Ironsides defeated the Lancasters after seven very close games. The Lancasters were the only team to continue play in the next season. The 1890s In the 1894-1895 season, a team called the Lancaster Chicks played in the Keystone Association. An all-Black team called the Lancaster Giants followed in 1887, and many Lancastrians supported the team despite the social pressure of the day. The Giants hosted many exhibition games against the Philadelphia Giants of the Keystone Club. Between the years 1896 and 1899, the first team called the Lancaster Maroons played in the original Atlantic League. In 1905, the second inception of the Maroons played in the Tri-State League. Lancaster Red Roses In 1906, the Maroons became the Lancaster Red Roses. As both teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of the Roses, the name change infuriated the rival White Roses from the nearby city of York. For more information about the team, see Lancaster Red Roses. Lancaster's New Era: The Barnstormers In 2003, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball formally announced an expansion franchise for Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In October of that year the team was named the Barnstormers and Lancastrians held their collective breath for the team to sign Tom Herr, a Lancaster native, to be the manager. In November 2004, the Barnstormers announced the signing of Herr as the first team manager. At the press conference, Herr responded, "I have been looking forward to the return of baseball to Lancaster for quite some time. This is almost too good to be true, being able to manage in my hometown." His son, Aaron, was to play with Lancaster until he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals before the start of the Atlantic League season, and allocated to their Class AA affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals, in 2005. The Lancaster Barnstormers' first playing season came in 2005 at the newly-built Clipper Magazine Stadium. On May 11, the Barnstormers lost their first game 4-3 to the Atlantic City Surf, in front of 7,300 excited fans. They finished the 2005 season with a record of 64 wins and 76 losses. In finishing the first half of the 2006 season with a record of 38-25, the Barnstormers qualified for their first Atlantic League playoff berth. They followed this feat with a second-half win, posting a record of 37-26. After besting division challenger Atlantic City in the first round of the playoffs, the Barnstormers swept the Bridgeport Bluefish on October 1, 2006 for their first ever Atlantic League championship, in only their second season. Pitcher Denny Harriger threw a complete game, breaking a franchise record for consecutive pitches. In doing so, the Barnstormers became the first Atlantic League team in history to sweep their way through both rounds of the playoffs on the way to a title. It was the city of Lancaster’s first professional championship since 1955, when the former Red Roses won the old Piedmont League title. The team gets heavy coverage in the local newspapers and receives significant following from Lancaster-area fans, many of whom hail the organization as family-friendly in their planning of events for game nights. Even though some in the Lancaster area have speculated the possibility of the Barnstormers organization becoming a Major League-affiliated club, the nearby affiliated Harrisburg Senators and the Reading Phillies have made it clear that they will not waive their territorial claims over Lancaster. Scroll down to the article starting with "Lancaster New Era" The market was previously served by: Lancaster Red Roses of the Eastern Professional Baseball League (1906-1961) Logos and uniforms The team colors of the Lancaster Barnstormers are navy blue, red, and khaki. These were the same colors used by the Red Roses, Lancaster's former professional baseball team, and represent a conscious effort to make a connection between the past and the present of baseball in Lancaster County. The Barnstormers logo consists of a typical red barn outlined in navy blue with a streaking baseball. Unlike most sports logos, the city name is prominently featured rather than the team nickname. Team management decided to emphasize the Lancaster community, so that the whole county could feel a sense of ownership and pride. The Lancaster Barnstormers uniforms are traditional in design. The caps are navy blue throughout with a stylized, cursive "L", colored red and khaki, interwoven with a streaking baseball centered on the front. The Barnstormers wordmark is centered on the back toward the lower edge of the cap. The home jerseys are white with traditional red piping. The cursive "Lancaster" wordmark is prominently displayed on the front of the jersey in red with khaki and navy blue outline. The away jersey is grey with red piping on the sleeves and the word "Lancaster" in red block letters, oulined in navy blue, arched across the front. Despite the navy blue cap, red is the primary color for the uniforms. The socks and the undershirts are colored red with a navy blue belt. The Barnstomers home and away uniforms are reminiscent of the Boston Red Sox. During the inaugural season, the Lancaster Barnstormers wore navy blue alternate jerseys with the "Barnstormers" wordmark prominently featured in white outlined in red. In 2006, the navy blue alternates were replaced with red ones, with the "Barnstomers" wordmark featured in navy blue outlined in white. Navy blue and red are interchangeable as primary colors for the Lancaster Barnstomers. Catchers wear either navy blue or red gear, and the dugout jackets are navy blue. All batting practice gear is primarily red. Special jerseys are worn for Independence Day, Hispanic Heritage Night, and the "War of the Roses." Independence Day jerseys are worn on or around the 4th of July and feature an American patriotic theme. Tie-dyed jerseys, featuring tropical colors, are worn for Hispanic Heritage Night. During the "War of the Roses", the Barnstormers wear throwback uniforms of the Lancaster Red Roses. The Red Roses caps are red with a white, Old English "L" centered on the front. The jerseys are white with red piping and the Old English "L" centered to the left, also in red. All Lancaster Barnstormer jerseys feature a U.S. flag centered above the number on the back. Season-by-Season Records * 1 Atlantic League Championship (2006) Tradition "War of the Roses" The South Central Pennsylvania cities of Lancaster and York have a historical rivalry in all sporting events from the high school level to the professional. As both cities are named after the English cities of Lancaster and York, the former Pennsylvania baseball teams were named for the opposing sides of the Wars of the Roses. Just as in the English battles, the Lancaster Red Roses and the York White Roses fought intense baseball matches throughout their existence. With the addition of York to the Atlantic League, the Barnstormers continue the Red Roses tradition as they battle the York Revolution for lower Susquehanna supremacy. With the sound of cannons, the "War of the Roses" was rekindled in April 2007 in the town of Wrightsville, a town on the natural boundary between Lancaster and York counties: the Susquehanna River. The terms of the series include the losing mayor planting a rose garden in front of the winning team's ballpark using the victor's choice of rose, and singing the classic, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", during a game of the winning team. The victor’s banner is also hung above the losing city hall for one week following the clinching game. The Barnstormers and the Revolution both wear throwback uniforms for the entire first "War of the Roses" series of the season, as well as the first game in the remaining "War of the Roses" series during the rest of the season. The Lancaster Barnstormers wear 1958 Red Roses uniforms that are auctioned off to the Water Street Rescue Mission following their last home game. The winner of the "War of the Roses" series is presented with the Community Cup. "Code Red" In the weeks leading up to the Lancaster Barnstormers' very first Atlantic League championship, the team management and loyal fans started a new tradition of "Code Red." Code Red happens when all team management and fans come to Clipper Magazine Stadium wearing a red shirt in support of the Barnstormers, especially during a playoff run. A Code Red is also declared on other special occasions such as the first home game of the season or the first home game versus the York Revolution. Hispanic Heritage Night As the city of Lancaster is home to a large contingent of Puerto Ricans, the Lancaster Barnstormers host a Hispanic Heritage Night celebration once every season in coordination with the city's annual Puerto Rican Festival. In addition to honoring Lancaster's Hispanic community, the Barnstormers team wears special tie-dyed jerseys, the proceeds of which are donated to the Spanish-American Lancaster Sports Association (SALSA) and Play Ball USA. Retired Players * Ryan Minor hit the first-ever Barnstormers home run on May 17, 2005. He played 142 games in parts of four Major League Baseball seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos, batting .177 with five home runs and 27 RBI. He is known for replacing Cal Ripken, Jr., when Ripken ended his consecutive games played streak on September 20, 1998. With the Barnstormers, Minor batted .268 with 26 homers, a team best, and 99 RBI, which were second most on the Barnstormers team and tied for third in the league. Before signing with Lancaster for the 2005 season, Minor spent some time with the Newark Bears and the Atlantic City Surf. He finished his career with a lifetime .265 average, 154 homers and 567 RBI. After Ryan Minor retired from professional baseball, he went on to coach the 2006 Road Warriors and the 2007 York Revolution. In 2007 Jeremy Todd ended his professional playing career as the Lancaster Barnstormers All-Time HR and RBI leader, as well as being near the top of many other categories. Jeremy led the Barnstormers in home runs again in 2007 (24), after only playing in 113 games. Named as the starting First Baseman in the All-Star game, and won the 2007 Atlantic League Home Run Derby. Jeremy started the 2006 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, After returning to Lancaster, he picked up where he left off, hitting .322/16 H.R./63 R.B.I. in only 70 games. Once the regular season ended Todd was unanimously voted the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Atlantic League playoffs after a record-setting offensive performance. In the Barnstormers five playoff games, he hit .478 with a slugging percentage over 1.000 (1.310). He set league playoff records with 11 runs scored and 12 RBIs and tied a league record with four home runs. He also finished the season with a 22 game hitting streak. Jeremy was named to the All-Independent League 2nd team after only half of a season. Jeremy was named to the 2005 Atlantic League post-season All-Star team after a breakout season in Lancaster/Newark in which he led the league in doubles (39), was 2nd in RBI (107) and extra base hits (67), 5th in On Base percentage (.393) and Slugging % (.546), and 6th in HR (26). Notable Barnstormers * Lancaster native, Tom Herr, who was a second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, and the New York Mets, was the team manager from the beginning of the inaugural 2005 season to the end of the 2006 championship season. He left the Lancaster Barnstormers in the fall of 2006 to manage the Hagerstown Suns, the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. * The Barnstormers employ former Major Leaguer, Rick Wise, as the pitching coach. He was the winning pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Other than his experience with the Red Sox, he pitched for the Cleveland Indians, the Philadelphia Phillies, the San Diego Padres, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Retired Numbers 42, Jackie Robinson, retired throughout baseball Quick facts :Current uniform colors: White with red piping for home games and grey for away games. Both with the word "Lancaster" across the front and number on the back. Navy blue hats with the letter "L" with a streaking baseball. There is also a red alternate jersey with the "Barnstomers" wordmark across the front. :Current logo design: The word "Lancaster" in script in white with navy blue and khaki outline superimposed over the peak of a red barn and a streaking baseball with the word "Barnstormers," in red, inside the khaki and navy blue streaks. :Current mascot: Cylo (2005-present). :Current Broadcasters: Radio: Dave Collins :Current Radio Station: Fox Sports Radio 1490 am (WLPA) :Current TV Station: Blue Ridge Cable-11 (select games) 2007 Lancaster Barnstormers Radio and television The Barnstormers' flagship radio station is Fox Sports Radio 1490 am (WLPA). Dave Collins is the official voice of the Lancaster Barnstomers. Blue Ridge Cable-11 airs select games on television. References External links *Lancaster Barnstormers *Atlantic League of Professional Baseball *Atlantic League blog *Atlantic League Independent *Lancaster, Pennsylvania *Lancaster County baseball history *Barnstormers at Wordpress Category:Lancaster Barnstormers Category:Independent baseball teams Category:Atlantic League teams Category:Teams in Pennsylvania